AGENCY :
RECORD NUMBER :

RECORD SERIES :

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

ORIGINATOR :
FROM:
TO:

TITLE:

DATE:
PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW :

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS :

v9.1

JFK Assassination System Date:

Identification Form

Agency Information

HSCA
180-10078-10492

NUMBERED FILES
009441

Document Information

HSCA
CALL, RICHARD DENNIS

06/06/1978
6

CALL; RICHARD, DENNIS °
OSWALD, LEE HARVEY; PRE-RUSSIAN PERIOD
MILITARY SERVICE

SUMMARY
Unclassified
3

Redact
11/20/1997

173-6. Box 173.

NW 68326 Docld:32240434 Page 1

10/14/20

' KENNEDY

INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE. : a
TAVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE o0sass

1. ‘Identifying Information: | ee
vene al eke cheaed. ZE, eens C Ol Date 7, -¢-
Address (fp, Place VEN as Z, lias

City/State / teal Telephone o/= Z#A— 203.2
IGE
". Date of Birth © cag FE Mor §S Le la
Social Security Mest <BR LOSS. Spouse
Children / o@=Sex__ eT bee

2, Physical Description:

. Height _ aan Color byes’ a Hair
‘Weight ae - _ Special Characteristics —
Ethnic Group , WL: ‘2 a

oo
‘Loy

3. -Personal History:

a. Present Bmployment: igs Beatisso- -

Address y, WASH

Telephone
be Criminal Record
“1... Arrests

2. Convictions

4, Additional Personal Information: ss ae

a. Relative(s): Name.

Address

b. Area frequented:

_c. Remarks:

Investigator

NW 88326 Docld:32248434 Page 2 Date -Form #4-B


KENNEDY .

SELECT. COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS

. Name Richard Dennis Call | ; Date June 6, 1978 Time4:00 p.m.
-Address Box #623.A, Route 5, Fleming- Place _ Residence

ton, New Jersey 08822

Interview: Mr. Call stated that in 1959-he was in the United

““S- States Marine Corps and stationed at El Toro Bay Marine Air

Station in Santa Anita, California. He stated that at the time

he was a Sergeant in “the Marine. Corps and that his’ Marine

military speciality was aeronautical electronics operator. .He

stated that Lee Harvey Oswald was under his immediate supervi-..

sion.

Call stated that his duties and that of his unit was

to track aircraft. on a radar scope. He further advised that his
unit at that time only worked two or three days out of a week.
He stated further that Lee Harvey Oswald's Specific duties:
“involved sitting in front of a large radar- screen ‘that con-
stantly “scanned certain areas for aircraft. once: the aircraft
was spotted, it was his duty to track the aircraft until it.
had cleared the area. Call further continued and. stated. that
his unit had security clearance and he déscribed this level of
clearance as being "confidential." He indicated that the secur-.
ity clearance was necessary due to the nature of the work that

his unit was doing and also because of the type of radar equip-

Interviewer Signature
Typed Signature Clarence Day

Date transcribed 6-23-78

By: (br

NW 88326 Docid:32248434 Page 3 Form #4~-a

Richard Dennis Call
Page 2.
ment the unit used. Mr. Call stated that he was Oswald's
immediate supervisor. He was not a close friend of Lee Harvey
Oswald but the interest they shared was mainly the game of
chess. Oswald would play chess with him quite often. He
described Oswald as being quiet. He didn't talk very much.
During any conversation that went on, the other person had to
solicit it from him. He described him as being a loner, stay-
ing off to himself, not having very many friends or having
very much contact with other people in the unit. In his
words, Mr. Call described Oswald as being "an oddball." Call
stated that he had never gone off the base or socialized off
the base with Lee Harvey Oswald. He knew of no civilian or
military personnel who hewwas particularly friendly with.

In regards to whether or not Mr. Call knew that LHO
was studying a foreign language, Mr. Call stated that LHO was
studying the Russian language. He had many books and he pur-
chased Russian records, that is, records of music. Mr. Call
could not recall the title of the books but he did state. that
LHO subscribed to two Russian periodicals, or newspapers. He
stated that the two newspapers were the two most popular Russian
newspapers in circulation in the United States today. Mr. Call
recalled.a particular record that he owned that was in Russian.
The name of the record he said was "Russian Fireworks." He said
that LHO enjoyed listening to the Russian music that he owned,

that is, Mr. Calls. Mr. Call recalled to memory that on occasions

NW 68326 Docid:32248434 Page 4

Richard Dennis Call Interview
Page 3. oe

he would be playing Russian music in his quarters and if
LHO heard the music he would respond to where he was and re-
ply "Did you call?" Mr. Call stated that it was common know-
ledge in his unit that LHO. was studying the Russian language: and
that he was very interested in the Russian way of life. Mr. .
Call knew of no persons that Oswald was studying Russian with.
-He stated that LHO also had a security clearance, the same
security clearance as everyone else in the unit. Call was not
sure of what particular training LHO had had; however, he did
indicate that LHO had had training in the use of radar track-
ing equipment. He stated that LHO was a very tight person
with money. He never knew him to have an over-abundance of
money. Call stated that he had no knowledge of any military
personnel who LHO had close contact with, with. the exception
of a lieutenant by the name of Donavan who he used to play
chess with. He also played chess with a Marine by the name
«© of Botello. Call stated that he aia/know Botello's full name,
but he believed he was a major in the Marine Corps, that at
the present time Botello is a judge in the state of California.
although he isn't certain of which state. As far as LHO's
interests--personal or professional--were concerned, Call
stated that he had no knowledge except that LHO was very in-
terested in the Russian way of life. He was extremely interested
in trying to’ learn to speak the Russian language, so much,so

that it became a joke in the unit. Instead of calling LHO

NW 88326 Docid:32248434 Page 5

Richard Dennis Call -Interview
Page 4.

_"Lee" themenin the unit would call him either "Comrade" or
“"Qgwaldovitch." Lee would show his interest in the Russian
way of life by, on occasion, when he was playing chess, if he
was asked which men he wanted out of the set of red and black
men, LHO would say "the Reds always." Mr. Call knew..of no
particular military program that LHO was interested in. How-
ever, he did state that.in 1959 he, LHO, and another Marine
named Delgado, all qualified on the rifle range. He considered
LHO a very good shot with a rifle: LHO qualified-with a

. gcore of 212. He stated that he shot right alongside LHO
during their qualification. This witness knew of no organiza-
tions or informal groups that LHO belonged to. Mr. Call stated
that LHO had never spoken to him about the U-2 program. Call
further continued and stated that at that time he didn't know
what the U-2 program was, that is, Mr. Call didn't know what
the U-2-program was. Mr. Call stated that he knew that LHO
had shot himself in the arm, or that he had been shot in the
arm, that he heard from other men in the unit that Oswald had
shot himself in the arm. Call did not know the particulars of
the incident. Call stated that he did not know that LHO had

a family until 1959 when he was about to be discharged from
the service. LHO came to him and told him that his mother was
ill and that he was getting a hardship discharge from the ser-

vice. Call stated that before this time, LHO during the entire

NW 60226 Docid:32248434 Page 6

Richard Dennis Call Interview
Page 5.
time he knew him, had never spoken of any member of his fam-
ily. Call indicated that he was quite shocked to learn that
LHO was getting out on a hardship discharge. Call further
stated that prior to his discharge from the Marine Corps, LHO
told him that he had been accepted to study at a university
in Switzerland. Mr. Call knew of no long extensive periods
of time that LHO was separated from the unit while he was
under his command. When asked if he, Mr. Call, had been ques-
tioned by any federal agency after the assassination, Mr. Call
responded that about a week after the assassination of President
Kennedy, he was interviewed by agents of the FBI. He does

- not recall the agents' names. Mr. Call further stated that
about a year ago, he was contacted and interviewed by EdwardJay
Epstein, the author of the book entitled, "The Legend of Lee
Harvey Oswald." Mr. Call described LHO as being a person who
was very discontent with the conditions in the United States at
that time. Mr. Call stated that he had never heard LHO make
a threat against the President or any other official. of the

United States.

NW 88376 Docid:32#45434 Page 7

